The present invention relates to an image editing device capable of creating print data, and a print/embroidery data creating method, device and a printing/embroidering system that create print/embroidery data.
Conventionally, there has been known a printing system that prints, in accordance with image data representing people, animals, sceneries and the like, an image pattern on a fabric such as a T-shirt with, for example, an inkjet printer. On the other hand, there has also been know an embroidering system that embroiders, in accordance with the image data, an image pattern on a fabric such as the T-shirt with, for example, an embroidering machine.
Printing of an image on the fabric and embroidering of an image on the fabric are often combined such that, for example, an image is embroidered on a T-shirt, and then, another image is printed on the embroidered image pattern. For this purpose, it is necessary to prepare print data for the printer, and embroidery data for the embroidering machine.
When the print data and the embroidery data are created independently, the resultant images of printing and embroidering do not have consistency therebetween in their positions and sizes. Conventionally, the adjustment is done by the user, which depends on the skill of the user. Such an adjustment should be done manually, and accordingly, it is troublesome and heavy burden to the user.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. HEI 5-272046 discloses an embroidering machine equipped with a printer. With this embroidering machine, either the printing operation or embroidering operation can be executed easily, without replacing the fabric between the embroidering machine and the printer. According to the disclosed embroidering machine a combination pattern of printed image and embroidery can be formed on the fabric accurately. Further, according to the embroidering machine, threads of an embroidery that is formed by the embroidering machine can be colored with the printer equipped to the embroidering machine.
Even in the embroidering machine equipped with the printer as described above, the print data and the embroidery data are created according to a conventional method, i.e., created independently, based on the same image data. Since the fabric need not be replaced, the printed image and the embroidered image do not shift from each other. However, since the embroidery data and print data may not have consistency in position and size, even if a mechanical adjustment is accurate, there still remains some errors in position and/or size of the output images (i.e., printed/embroidered patterns). Therefore, even if the embroidering machine disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. HEI 5-272046 is used, the user is still required to adjust the position and/or size of the images, which is a troublesome and time-consuming job for the operator.
Further to the above, there is a case in which an image is printed on an embroidery. In such a case, a further problem may arise.
When an image is printed on a paper with an inkjet printer, permeability of ink of the paper is considered to be substantially even over the surface of the paper. When an image is printed on the fabric, the permeability differs may be different from that of the paper. Further, depending on the type of the fabric, the permeability may also be different. Therefore, in order to maintain the image quality, the ink ejection amount should be adjusted in accordance with the type of the fabric.
For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 3100790 discloses an image recording device which contains a plurality of tables defining a relationship between the data corresponding to the darkness (thickness density) and the number of recording dots for a plurality of types of fabrics. When an image is printed on a fabric, one of the plurality of tables is selected corresponding to the type of the fabric, and obtains the number of recording dots corresponding to the value of the image data representing the thickness density. Then, based on the thus obtained data, a recording head is driven to form a gradation image on the fabric.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. P2000-343687A discloses a printing device and a printing method that control a printing operation such that, for recording mediums having a variety of ink fixing property, a main scanning is performed with controlling an inkjet head standby time in accordance with information on the ink fixability. With this control, it is ensured that ink dots are formed and fixed. It should be noted that, as the information related to the ink fixability, information regarding the permeability of the ink for respective objects is used.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. HEI 8-242386 also discloses an inkjet printer and an inkjet printing method. In this publication, when a printing operation is executed for fabrics of a plurality of types of fibers, image processing parameters are determined based on the image processing parameters of respective fibers and the composition ratio of the plurality of types of fibers so that the optimum coloring property is obtained for each type of fiber.
As described above, the devices and methods in the above-described publications, an appropriate printing operation is performed in accordance with the type of the material (fiber). It should be noted that, in each of the publications described above, it is assumed that, the property of the fabric remains unchanged during each printing operation. There are cases where the fabric contains weaving portions, embroidered portions or patch work portions, and thus, contains portions having different properties in terms of the ink permeability. The above-described publications cannot deal with a printing operation with respect to a fabric including a plurality of areas having different permeability.